The 2011 BMW M5's twin-turbocharged 540-hp V8 is rumored to be mated only to a manumatic transmission and these exclusive spy images inside the cockpit do nothing to quiet those whispers. Does this mean the ultimate driving machine is dead?

Loaded with a twin-turbo V8 rumored to produce 578 HP, can you blame the test engineers for driving the 2012 BMW M5 out in public to be spotted by the keen eyes of spy photographers? Interior pic below.

The first thing you notice about the 2011 BMW M5 is its size. Compared to the E60 M5 chase car, it's positively huge. It also appears to adapt 2009 BMW 7-series proportions. Does this mean it'll adapt that vehicle's über-conservative styling too? We're not sure yet. What we do know is that the biggest change will come…